A Madman's Introspective
by The General Electric
Summary: It had taken nearly a century, but here he stood on the cusp of victory, nostalgic for the journey before.


He stood overlooking the Shinobi of the five great Hidden Villages meeting in mortal combat with his Zetsu clone army.

His six Illusory Paths surrounding him, both Rinnegan and Mangyekou Sharingan blazing in all seven pairs of eyes, his own included, he couldn't help but become a little introspective.

It had taken a lifetime to reach this point. A lifetime of planning, scheming and manipulation, everything was finally coming together. He was finally standing on the cusp of absolute power he needed to see the world complete and perfect.

The power to, finally, honour Izuna's sacrifice.

The events that would lead to this day had begun so long ago, that first meeting between him and the Senju brothers.

The day both he and Izuna had unlocked their Mangyekou Sharingan and stirred up a rivalry that would span two decades.

Two amazing, yet at the same time hellish decades.

-/-

**70 Years Prior****  
><strong>The Sage's Path<strong>  
><strong>Land of Fire<strong>**

"Are you ready Nii-san?"

"Are you kidding 'Zuna? I was ready years ago, but we finally get to go to battle against those damn tree huggers." 14 year old Uchiha Madara enthused to his younger brother Izuna. "I can't wait to cover my fan in some Senju blood.

That's a good attitude to have Madara-gaki." A voice interrupted. Both boys spun to see a man with thinning grey hair and hard charcoal eyes approach them, an ornate daito at his side, and two small battle fans on his sitting on his shoulders. "But don't get too reckless, the Senju may be a bunch of godless bastards, but they are powerful Bastards none the less."

"Mizachi-sama? You're coming out into the fray with us too?" Izuna asked somewhat meekly.

"Now, now Izuna-gaki, what's with the honorific, I've told you when we're alone you're to call me Grandfather. How many times must I tell you boys?" the man asked a smirk on his face.

"At least once more Mizachi-Sama." Madara piped back, a matching smirk on his face.

"Cheeky little bugger aren't you, o' Grandson of mine?"

"I learnt it from you Mizachi-sama."

"So you did, Madara, so you did." Mizachi spoke as he looked out onto the horizon. His smile dropped and his hand moved to the hilt of his sword. "Look alive boys. The enemy has arrived.

-/-

He had been expecting the fight to be glorious. To be magnificent. He had been wrong. This fight was dirty and it was chaotic.

His fan took the head of another Senju as he sent a spread of Phoenix Flowers the other way. It may not have been the glorious battle he had imagined, but it thrilled him like he'd never known.

His eyes caught the form of his brother fighting off another batch of Senju, his hands covered in fire as the boy let loose with a fire technique of his own creation, shooting streams of flames out towards their enemies, and rotating the fire into a burning tornado.

Izuna definitely had a creative streak in him worthy of those Uzumaki relatives of the Senju he'd heard of. Tricky bastards the lot of them apparently. He would very much like to take a crack at one of them someday.

Turning his focus back to his own fights, he was surprised to find his fan, pole first, in a Senju's heart. He had honestly been expecting the bastards to bleed green, or brown. Something tree coloured.

Moving his fan from the man's chest he started as he felt massive upsurge of chakra run underneath the battlefield. He saw Izuna had noticed as well and they began to run, signalling a retreat to their fellow clan members.

It was too late though.

In barely a second, the sun had been blotted out, as a hail of ice and wood covered the area. He would have to send a thank you card to the Hyuuga clan for allowing him to learn the Kaiten, it was probably all that had stood between him and death.

As he stopped spinning, he noted there were only 5 Uchiha standing, including both himself and Izuna, as his brother emerged from a down of fire.

He bit back a cry of sorrow as he saw his Grandfather impaled by a shard of ice, gasping for breath. There would be time to mourn later, he gazed towards Izuna who had also noticed the death of their teacher and Jisan, tears streaming freely down his younger brother's face, and his eyes flew back towards the hill where the assault had come from.

They looked just like the posters. The two clan heirs of the Senju clan. The brown haired red armoured Hashirama and the white haired blue clothed Tobirama.

The two Uchiha clan heirs stepped forward as one, as did the two Senju, everyone else backing slowly away from the four boys, picking up their wounded and saveable. With a yell of fury Madara charged forward, Izuna on his heels, not noticing that the eyes of both he and his brother had changed, charged with black fire.

-/-

Neither pair had come away from that battle victorious. Tattered and torn they had fled; all four of them.

From that day, the quartet had found themselves in the rivalry that had been the subject of story right to this current day, Madara and Hashirama especially, even past the founding of Konoha, right up until the Uchiha's abandonment of the village.

Oh, now there was a memory.

-/-

**50 Years Prior****  
><strong>The Blazing Plains<strong>  
><strong>Bordering the Land of Rice<strong>**

This was history. A battle that would be forever remembered as one of the most titanic confrontations the Land of Fire would ever see.

Where the Shodaime Hokage would die, naming his brother as his successor. Where the Kyubi no Kitsune would be sealed into its first known Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Mito. And where history would say Madara Uchiha died.

Two figures stood opposite each other, fire in their eyes.

Two rivals, who had spent their entire adult lives fighting each other, competing for supremacy, two rivals who had temporarily ceased all hostility to raise a village, and give their clans some sort of stability.

Hostilities that had continued to flare, blazing red hot in their hearts.

"So, you've followed me then?" A man with spiky black hair and blazing red eyes murmured, watching the other warily. "That was a mistake Senju.

The man addressed as Senju shook his head sadly. "It is my duty as Kage Madara. You are far too powerful to let roam around unchecked. I will ask you only once, will you surrender yourself to me and answer to your crimes with honour?"

Madara chuckled slightly, his sharingan spinning faster.

"Surrender myself to you? To what end Hashirama? Be raked across the coals in front of a Senju court? I think not my old rival."

"It is not only the Senju who wish to see you punished. Izuna was well loved within your clan; they bay for your blood Madara."

"I didn't do anything wrong, Izuna gave his life to chase away my darkness. Do not pretend to understand what happened between my brother and I Senju."

"Then make me understand Madara, your surrender does not necessarily mean your death. If you explain what happened, then we need not assume the worst any longer."

"Even if I did Sen… Hashirama, There is nothing left for me back in Konoha, nothing but a clan of neutered dogs and a Senju run village. Konoha was supposed to mean equality, not Senju supremacy."

"You say Izuna saved you from blindness? If anything his death has drowned you in the stark."

"What did you say?"

Konoha is balanced. Konoha is equal. The only reason you cannot see this is because your ego won't let you." Madara's eyes narrowed in anger. "You've always needed more, so much so that you killed your own brother for his eyes. Tell the truth Madara, Izuna didn't offer his eyes, you stole them and then you murdered him, your own brother!" Hashirama had to dodge quickly as the patch of dirt where he was standing moments ago erupted in a pillar of black fire.

"Don't you dare." The Uchiha whispered. "Don't you _DARE_ act as if you understand what happened between me and Izuna. You do not, you cannot!"

"Tell me Madara, what next?"

"This world is cruel and harsh. This world took Izuna from me." He paused as a dangerous smirk began to spread across his face "A world where brothers must choose between blindness and death is an incomplete world.

"A world that needs saving from itself. I will be that saviour Hashirama, I will spare brothers this fate, and I will spare mothers the pain of seeing their children die before them. I will raze this world to the ground and rebuild it if I must. I will do anything to see that happen Hashirama, anything."

"You truly have lost your grasp on reality haven't you Madara?"

"I have never been more grounded my old rival. I do not wish to fight you Hashirama, not today. I wish to spare Tobirama the pain I had to endure in losing Izuna, but I will fight if you force me."

"You are sure. Then I am sorry Madara, I cannot allow you to leave this plain alive. Prepare yourself my rival. Today, we settle things." He stated, his hands flying into a seal, the ground beneath him beginning to pulse with his chakra.

"Yes, of course we will." Shifting his body slightly and drawing a kunai, his Sharingan morphed, Izuna's Mangyekou imprinted atop his own. "Bear witness to Izuna's final gift Senju Hashirama, Hokage of Konoha. It will be the last thing you see!"

-/-

That had been a long time ago now. And he had very nearly died that day. If Hashirama had not spent his chakra sealing the fox into Uzumaki Mito, his wife and cousin, (He wondered if that inbreeding was why the Mokuton had died out within the Senju line) he wouldn't have escaped that Valley alive.

As it was fortune smiled on him that day and he escaped with his life intact, but he was left weak.

And now he moved swiftly towards the battlefield. Towards his ultimate goal, his mind turned towards the newest and most successful Jinchuriki of the Kyubi no Kitsune.

Uzumaki Naruto.

It was as if instead of the Kyubi, the boy had the soul of the Senju sealed within him instead. And his strength had reached a point he'd not seen since his father, the Yondaime, and still he continued to gain strength at an astounding pace. Not even a year ago he was barely able to stand level with his former teammate and yet just 6 weeks ago he had managed to beat down 3 of Nagato's paths including his Tendo, which he had honestly believed was something even Itachi would have struggled with.

And now, with no real experience in controlling the power of the beast within him, he had taken control of the fox's full power in mere days.

He would actually feel somewhat threatened if not for a particular Uchiha he had taken under his slowly all-encompassing wing.

The Uzumaki's faith in Sasuke was laughable, that he thought there was someone who could be redeemed under all of the darkness and rage within the bitter Avenger.  
>Every action he took against Sasuke would be unwilling, his every punch pulled. A fight between the two boys would not end fatally, for Sasuke no longer held the strength to kill his former teammate, but the battle would wear them down both sufficiently that neither could threaten his plans, his final gift to Izuna.<p>

No, Sasuke wouldn't win that fight, Naruto's Uzumaki heritage coupled with mastery his newfound strength would promise that.  
>But the Uzumaki would not come out unscathed, and it would be at that point he would swoop in and subdue both boys, ready to reclaim his pet fox and take another pair of Mangyekou for any backup Illusion Paths he would (doubtfully) need.<p>

Yes, that boy was truly his parent's son, a bit of a late bloomer, but even early on, he had experienced the odd bout of ingenuity and unpredictability that his clan boasted prior to their demise.

He just hoped that unpredictability didn't strike true enough for the boy to figure out his father's thrice damned Hiraishin, that would muck things up a bit. God knows if his father's attentions hadn't been split so drastically, there was a very good chance his journey would have ended on that night.

But, fortune once again smiled on him, as he was spared death at the hands of a second Hokage.

-/-

**17 Years Prior**  
><strong>Eastern Forest Surrounding <strong>  
><strong>Konohagakure no Sato<strong>

He had been struck.

It had been a long time since he'd felt the sting of another Shinobi landing a hit on him. Yet this man, no, he was barely 20, Namikaze Minato, this boy, had managed to strike him, quite solidly in fact.

"You seem surprised. Is it really so surprising that I hit you?" The boy had a tongue on him, but it was one well earned.

"Kiroi Senko… you live up to your reputation. I'm glad, I was afraid this would be boring."

"Kami forbid your assault on my Village be boring." The boy narrowed his eyes. "You know who I am, the question is, who are you? That Sharingan says Uchiha, but you're Chakra, nothing that dark calls Konoha its home."

"You're half right. I am Uchiha, but this village is more my home than even yours Hokage-dono. Of course you have to go back nearly 60 years to find it. I was there, at the base of the tower you rule from as Konoha was established. I was there as Hashirama was declared Hokage. I was there as the Valley of the End was carved with blood and Jutsu."

"Do you really expect me to believe that? That you could possibly have been at the founding of this village and be as young as you appear? Try pulling the other one Uchiha, see if anything happens."

"Oh, but its true Namikaze Minato. In fact, I've prepared a demonstration of my identity, with your lovers help of course."

A deafening roar filled the night air as a flash of angry red filled the night sky. The form of the Kyubi no Kitsune blazing itself against the night sky.

"What have you done?"

"You said nothing as dark as my chakra called Konoha its home. Did you forget about my pet locked within your lover's gut?" The fox let off a mighty roar as Madara made eye contact with the beast, his eternal Mangyekou imprinting itself onto the foxes eyes and mind. "Do you believe me now, Minato-kun? Do you understand who I must be to have enthralled the strongest of the nine under my command? To wrench it from the gut of its Jinchuriki, so easily and absolutely?" Madara chuckles had become full-fledged laughter at this point. "Tell me Namikaze! Tell me who I am!"

"Madara Uchiha…"

His laughter dying down he bent his body slightly, dipping into a shallow bow. "At your service, Hokage-sama."

"What kind of a monster are you?"

"The worst, Minato-kun. The worst." Another roar let out as the Kyubi crashed through the village walls. "The extraction process is fatal. Uzumaki-chan doesn't have long to live, will you stay and fight, or will you go and say your final farewells, leaving me free to aid my pet in reducing this village to ash?"

All the answer he got was a yellow flash and a kunai in his back.

Growling in pain he warped himself via Kamui, to the opposite side of the clearing, staring down the most deadly Hokage to have ever worn the hat. "Well, well Minato-kun, that's 3 for 5, you are a quick little fly aren't you." He watched as the boys hands tightened, his knuckles whitening as Madara phased the kunai out of his back and onto the ground.

"You stay right there you twisted son of a bitch." The Hokage growled, twisting his kunai even further in. "Stay right there, because I'm coming back for you, and you won't be let off so damn easy." Another yellow flash and he was gone. Nothing left but the pain in his back and the heat and anger of the Kyubi's roar.

"No Minato, you won't come back." Madara shook his head, and gazed up at the fox as it let loose with an energy blast that incinerated countless Shinobi and at least 3 square blocks of property. He chuckled. "My pet won't let you."

-/-

He had been right in a way. The fox hadn't let Minato escape with his life that night. But he hadn't gone into the sweet night quietly. He had dragged the fox with him and created something he thought impossible, something near unattainable for someone lacking what he would hold when the time came for him to enact the last stage of his plans.

A perfect Jinchuriki.

No adverse effects from the sealing whatsoever. No seepage from the fox, no mental strain from channelling the beast's potent chakra and a near perfect control over the beast with no previous training.

He was sufficiently impressed. It would mean a lot less work come the time for extraction, a much smoother process than when he had wrench the cursed fox from Uzumaki Kushina's gut, maybe even a much quicker extraction even with just him and a few Zetsu left to work the process.  
>Then that bumbling Sannin, Jiraiya, had gone and messed around with it, degrading the fail safes, and literally handing the fox perfect influence over its chakra when the boy channelled it as well as the ability to freely seep the tainted power into the boy during times of extreme stress and anger.<p>

The boy had gone from the perfect prison to an old basement with a few flimsy and rusted locks.

It had been something quite horrifying to watch, especially as the fox had forced out 8 tails of his chakra during the boy's fight against Nagato.

He had been close to stepping in and revealing himself to Konoha early, to prevent the fox from escaping, kami knew what the Shinigami's influence had done to the Kyubi's susceptibility to his Sharingan's hypnotism.

But amazingly, in that completely Uzumaki habit of dropping jaws wherever they went, the boy had reigned in all 8 tails, and he watched as the seal repaired itself, reaffirming itself on top of the fox, and caging it perfectly once again.

It seemed even in death, Minato would continue to surpass himself.

He had watched as Naruto had beat Nagato's Tendo Path, he watched as the boy swayed his kinsman's heart, and leading Nagato to commit the ultimate sacrifice to resurrect those he had killed that day.

And then there was the Raikage initiated Gokage Summit, he had watched as the Kage's participated in a civilized dick measuring contest, with Danzo subtly manipulating Iron Countries Shogun, Mifune, to gain control of the Shinobi alliance.

And then of course the Mizukage's dog had revealed his stolen Byakugan.

It seemed everyone was pulling a Kakashi nowadays, taking bloodlines and implanting them into themselves for the hell of it.

Well that wasn't quite true, he wasn't sure what had happened between them, but if Kakashi had taken Obito's eye for himself, he doubted the, then yet to be named, Yondaime would have let the boy live.

He supposed he used the Hatake's name for lack of a better term really, maybe pulling a Danzo-kun? He wasn't sure if his old student would appreciate the appellation of not. But no, no. Danzo-kun had just copied Kakashi after making sure the process stuck… Pulling a Kakashi, or pulling a Hatake, would have to do for now.

Speaking of Danzo, he had met the man once more, long before Sasuke had driven him to a long overdue, bittersweet, grave and long after he had taught and educated the boy. The day he had watched Nagato become Pein.

-/-

**21 Years Prior  
>Rain Country<br>The City That  
>God Drowned<strong>

Danzo growled as he caught his breath. The rising of the small rebel group combatting Hanzo and his village of Amegakure had been a threat to Konoha's safety as well. As long as the Salamander was in charge, Amegakure would risk nothing against Konoha, knowing full well that they would be crushed in the attempt.  
>However, he had received numerous reports that came in from the agents he had scattered amongst Sarutobi's squads out on the frontlines in the war against Iwa and Suna.<p>

Apparently the 3 leaders of the rebels were like the second coming of the Sannin, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Orochimaru, only a lot more cohesive and significantly stronger at that.

A threat to the status quo he really had no need for. So he had approached Hanzo, suggesting an ambush to put down these Samaritans before they amassed enough strength to take the Hidden Rain by force.

He had been surprised when he had realized that the 3 orphans that Jiraiya had once taken under his wing and spent 6 months training in the way of the Shinobi arts.

As Hanzo talked, spouting nonsense of an alliance to better improve their country as a whole, he struck, his men taking hold of the girl and forcing the 2 boys into killing each other.

What he hadn't expected was the red haired boys reaction to his friends death, letting loose with a roar he'd summoned some sort of living statue, and gone on to slaughter over half his men and all of Hanzo's.

He ordered retreat to his remaining men. As he ran himself, unwilling to die in that hell hole of a country.

The boy was something new, something unexpected commanding Bijuu like power with ease, which he knew he couldn't beat, even with his recent augmentations to his arm, courtesy of Orochimaru. He looked back one last time, just in time to see the statue, silhouetted black against the torrential rain, crunch down on what he suspected was Hanzo.

All up, the mission had been a complete failure, half his men dead and the very thing he had set out to prevent had happened anyway.

All this had given him was a crippled man force, which would take at least 5 years to make back.

Scratch that, his entire force dead, a decade to make it back.

Standing quickly, before the last body hit the floor, he uncoupled the seals on his armoured gauntlet, he let loose with a flurry of Mokuton, ensnaring the culprit.

It wasn't the rebel.

"Yo, Shimura Danzo. I thought you and I might have a chat."

The man he had wrapped up in wood covered his face with a hood and red spiralled mask that covered all of his face except for an eyehole that the spiral centered in on.

A Mangyekou Sharingan staring at the ROOT commander, filled with mirth.

"Who are you? Did Sarutobi send you?" He asked quickly, his heart racing faster and faster.

"Please;" the man drawled. "Do I look like I'm one of the Sandaime's pups Danzo?"

"No, no I suppose you don't. Who are you then?"

"Me, I'm a monster Danzo-kun, I hope you haven't forgotten that in your old age." The masked man chuckled condescendingly. "And I could, and have always been able to, kill you with very little effort." As if to prove his point, he walked right through the wooden binds Danzo had ensnared him in, letting loose a slight amount of killing intent, his dense, dark chakra surprising Danzo out of control of the Mokuton technique he had performed, the wood splintering and collapsing in on itself.

"I think you'll find me a _much_ more challenging foe than you seem to be assuming of me." The old war hawk bit out, insulted, muscles tensed for any kind of hostile move.

The man chuckled, hand pressing against his face. "I didn't mean to say you were a poor Shinobi, Danzo-kun, you are definitely a strong man. You always have been. But I have faced down 3 Hokage, and survived where they have not." Shaking his head sadly, as if to shake off some wistful memory, he continued. "Compared to a person like me Danzo, you will always be a fresh, eternal, Genin."

"What do you want then? To taunt my ears off? To scare me till I death?" the ROOT of Konoha snarled, insulted and enraged. "If you want to kill me, face me like a man!" He roared, hands flying into a seal, the wind surrounding the masked man collapsing in on itself before exploding outwards, quickly followed by snaking pillars of wood erupting from the walls of the ruins the two men were in, before crashing together against him."

"I am Shimura Danzo, and I will not be looked down on!" he declared.

"That's a good attitude to have, and your pride is commendable." Spinning around so quickly that his neck let out an audible crack, Danzo's eyes widened in shock and fear as the man he had attacked with two of his most ferocious Jutsu within a 3 second span stood atop the splintered wood, not a single scratch on him.

"How… how did you avoid that so completely?" the old ANBU muttered, falling to his knees, finally realizing how outclassed he was.

"Your mastery over Hashirama's cells is impressive, and yes I know that they are his specifically, Orochimaru does have an unfortunate obsession with powerful bloodlines;" he added at Danzo's further surprise towards the masked monsters almost omnipotent knowledge of his dealings. "Especially as you aren't even close to being related to the Senju. In fact you might have been able to match Sarutobi's sensei when he was 16, 17 if you're feeling lucky."

"Who the hell are you?" The warhawk demanded. His fear and shock turning quickly to rage. "Who are you to claim such intimate knowledge of Hashirama-sama?"

"I'm insulted Danzo-kun, not only do you misunderstand my motives, but you still haven't recognized your old sensei." He gently reprimanded as he went to remove his mask. "Honestly Danzo-kun, it makes one think you might be going senile."

Danzo's eyes widened as the mask came off, two3 tomoe sharingan morphing into an all too familiar and haunting Mangyekou Sharingan, spikey black hair falling over his eyes.

"Madara-sensei… what kind of monster did you become?"

"I told you, gaki, the worst kind." He joked, shaking his head sadly. "And like I said, I am not here to kill you, no; I'm here to ask you a favour and to give you a warning." He spoke eyes narrowing, turning cold, hands grasping the neck of Danzo's Jonin Vest.

"You will do 2 things for me Danzo-kun. One, you will provide me with some of Hashirama's cells, at no cost but your continued existence upon this kami forsaken rock." He snarled slightly at that last part.

"And the second?" Danzo asked, fearful for the first time, in a very long time. Not since he had failed to act while Tobirama had given his life to save him, had he experienced this level of fear.

"There's a dawn on the horizon Danzo-kun. A blood red dawn." He chuckled mirthlessly. "It might be best, if your gaze doesn't fall on it, hmm?"

-/-

Danzo had provided Hashirama's cells, a few scrapings from his shoulder had gone onto spawn an entire army of pure Mokuton Soldiers, his mass of Zetsu.

And for the first few years of the Akatsuki's rise, Danzo had played nice like a good little pup. But in the end, the man couldn't let Konoha's destruction go unpunished. He had acted out, and as expected, had died furiously, fighting off the ambition of his former sensei.

A cowed dog for years, he died a true patriot, and Danzo finally gained some respect back for his former student, something he hadn't had for decades.

With Danzo's death, the Fourth Shinobi War had begun.

It wasn't supposed to have reached the point where full scale warfare was nessacary, but the strongest and luckiest of the Jinchuriki had proved much harder to 'acquire' and subdue.  
>Both the Hachibi and Kyubi were supposed to be in the palm of his hand by this point, their Jinchuriki dead and rendered into his Strongest Paths of Illusion. Killer Bee as his Path of Thorns and Uzumaki Naruto as his Path of Oppression.<p>

But continuing with their surprising combination of skill and luck, both Nagato and Kisame had been beaten back by their respective targets, Nagato and Konan turning against him, Nagato dying and bringing back those he'd killed in Konoha that day. Konan, giving her life to protect Nagato's eyes and attempt to take him with her as she attempted a suicidal, gratuitous, somewhat impressive (not that he'd ever say it out loud) consisting of an ocean of paper and a stupidly large amount of exploding tags mixed in for extra effect.

That had worked out _really_ well for her.

Pft. She had thrown her life away, stupid bitch should have run. If only for her own sake, he wasn't really fussed, in fact it had worked out fine for him.

As for Kisame, he had honestly expected Kisame to succeed in the abduction of Killer B, only the timely intervention of the Raikage and Samehada's unexpected defection preventing him from achieving his goals.

But still, he had survived, even gone so far as to discover a few things about Kumo's planned defence and the counter measures they were employing for this war.

Hidden, merged with the sword that had betrayed him, Kisame had been taken right out to where both Jinchuriki were headed for their protection as well as Naruto's training to harness control of the fox. He still had no idea where they'd gone, all he knew was that Kisame sent along the successor to Hashirama's Mokuton bound and gagged and a few notes on Naruto's progress.

Wait overnight and then take the Uzumaki while he slept, making note of where they had been so they could mount an attack to take the more experienced Kumo Jinchuriki.

That had been the plan. It had seemed like such a solid plan. He still didn't know what went wrong, but somehow Kisame had been detected while employing the most undetectable stealth technique ever conceived. Hell, even when he himself knew Kisame was in the sword, he still couldn't tell that the blue skinned man was in there.

And yet, someone had. Personally he was leaning towards that Maito Guy person being the one to spot the shark like Shinobi.

Such an unorthodox ninja, essentially the complete antithesis of what a proper Assassin of the night should be like, loud, obnoxiously so and those teeth were so blindingly white, he wondered if the man even knew the meaning of the word stealth.

But the man had not only bested Kisame, according to the final reports of the Zetsu stationed on the island before Uzumaki crushed the plant like clone soldier into the ground, Gai had easily matched Kisame blow for blow and had opened his Seventh inner gate like he was swatting away a fly, then proceeded to bat Kisame around like a rag doll.

Who knew Kisame's self-declared eternal rival was such a monstrous Shinobi, was it really such a stretch that the self-appointed Great Green Beast of Konoha could have abilities unknown to even him?

It was a hard pill to swallow, that someone so, simultaneously offensive to all five senses, might have some sort of secret technique that nobody could begin to comprehend.

But then again, that was half the fun of his Tobi persona. He was going to miss that little façade he had adopted for a good chunk of the last 10 years, it was always fun, being Tobi.

Maybe that's all there was to Maito Gai after all. Just a bored Shinobi, mind fucking the world around him for no real reason but his own personal amusement.

Konoha Shinobi were tricky like that, it came from the knowledge that the Village of Leaves held some of the most powerful and unique Shinobi in the world, all of which enjoyed messing with their opponents heads.

Maybe Maito just got tired of limiting his mind fuckery to enemies?

He sighed, he could stand there debating the motivations of an especially crazy madman in a village full of them, but the sun was setting, a good chunk of Kabuto's resurrected Shinobi puppets had been sealed away already, including Sasori and Deidara, which was a harsh slap in the face, but he had lost them before, and honestly they were probably the most disposable among the 10 he had assembled, just above his Zetsu's and Orochimaru.

With the sun setting, it was time to order a retreat, and prepare for the part of Hidden Wars that made them truly unique to Shinobi, separating them from a Samurai war.

Espionage and sabotage.

"Zetsu."

A green venus fly trap emerged from the dirt, splitting open and revealing a man within. Half black and half white, each possessing its own will and control over its respectively coloured half of the shared body, even going so far as to be able to separate into separate warriors.

This was Zetsu, clones born, grown and created from the Mokuton Cells that he had coerced from Danzo, now strengthened, from being fed the chakra of the Yamato boy.

"**What is it Madara? We're busy fighting a war here."** The yellow eyed, black coloured half bit out.

"Snarky as ever hmm Zetsu?"

"Don't listen to him Madara-san." The white half replied somewhat diplomatically. "What do you need?"

"The sun is setting, night will be here soon." He mused quietly looking at the orange glow of the dusk sky.

**"No fucking kidding. You know, that philosophical bullshit doesn't sound nearly as profound as you seem to think it does."**

"Don't listen to him Madara-san. I think it sounds quite good, very megalomania-chique."

**"Kiss ass."**

Brushing off the plants ramblings, he watched as the Zetsu next to him ordered its clones retreat, as they flowed back like a flooding wave of black and white. His eyes turned towards the plant man once more.  
>"You know your jobs, Black Zetsu, go deliver orders to Kabuto and Sasuke. White Zetsu, sow as much discord as you can.:<p>

"**H**a**i,** M**a**d**a**r**a**-s**a**n." The plants echoed splitting apart with a wet squelch of shredding vines.

He watched them sink into the ground, off to begin their respective jobs, before running through seals. It was time for him to make a personal appearance, to put the fear of Gedō Mazō in the enemy's hearts.

-/-

"Gentlemen." The two resurrected men glared at him, Mangyekou and Rinnegan burning holes into him. If not for Kabuto's absolute control over these two, he was sure he would be in for a difficult fight.  
>As it was, Uzumaki Nagato and Uchiha Itachi had never been less of a threat to him.<p>

"Madara." Itachi drawled. "You couldn't just leave us to our eternity could you?"

The Uchiha patriarch laughed. "Come now Itachi, surely you can appreciate the reprieve from the kind of eternity we both know you were suffering through?" He questioned, smirk hidden behind the black lined white mask.

"It is my penance, you will know it soon enough." the Patriot said without flinching.

"That's assuming I die Itachi-chan. With the Juebi sealed within me, I will never age, I will never wither and I will never die."

"I have heard this rant more than enough times for my own eternity Madara." The wizened Uzumaki interrupted, eyes burning in rage. "Many times from my own mouth. And now you have stolen my eyes, and bound the bodies of the Jinchuriki as your paths."

"My, my, Nagato. How did you know that?"

"Those are my eyes you hold, Uchiha; my chakra still circulates through them. I see what you see, and I know you're the paths you walk. Paths of Hell, Deluge, Rage, Insanity, Oppression and Rapture." He shook his head slowly, leaning his emaciated frame on Itachi for support. "Lonely Paths Madara. Ones that will inevitably kill you." He finished sadly.

"Summon your Paths Nagato." Madara snapped out a liitle angrier than he'd meant to, unwilling to be lectured by a child. "You two are off to confront and capture the last two free roaming Jinchuriki. Killer Bee of Kumo, and someone you are both quite familiar with;" he smirked cruelly. "Uzumaki Naruto."

"Very well Madara." Itachi sighed in resignation as Nagato summoned his Paths, once destroyed now fully revived and pristine. "But you continue to underestimate Naruto-kun's capabilities Madara. It is a fatal mistake, not nessacerily ours."

"And you, Itachi, continue to underestimate me. First the cheap trick with the Amaterasu in Sasuke's eye, and now placing your hope in Uzumaki Naruto? I figured you better than that." He bit out, offended by Itachi's words. Turning west he felt the Jinchuriki's presence as they raced past both Tsunade and Killer A. "Uzumaki and Bee are making their way here from the west, move towards them, 10km, and wait. They'll meet you before the moon falls."

"Thank you Madara, for telling us what we could tell on our own." Itachi bit out slightly, surprising Madara with just how snarky he could be when not organizing his suicide by Little Brother. "Nagato-san, let's get this over with."

Madara watched as the two boys walked off, Itachi especially. He remembered that day, the first time he had met the boy, watch him commit atrocities that would make the most hardened Shinobi blanch.

After all, not many could so easily kill over 300 of their own flesh and blood, with as much efficiancy as he had.

**9 Years Earlier**  
><strong>Uchiha Complex <strong>  
><strong>Konohagakure no Sato<strong>

Madara stared at his great, great, great nephew thrice removed as the boy stood alone at the dock preforming an ANBU stress exercise.

And what an ungodly amount of stress this boy had to work out. It wasn't every day you agreed to kill your entire family after all.

He watched a little longer as Itachi continued to agitate his chakra, readying it so he wouldn't need to warm it up once he began the slaughter.

Because that's what it would be. Pure unadulterated slaughter.

Served them right. The clan that had shunned him in his time of confusion and grief. The clan that had declared him a traitor for accepting Izuna's gift of eternal sight.

He wouldn't stop Itachi, no, he would watch him, evaluate his skill as he murdered his family one by one and should Itachi meet his standards, he would offer an invitation to become an Akatsuki.

He knew it was risky, no doubt if the boy accepted the offer, Itachi would soon see through the front of Pein and discover the King behind the Bishop, but Shinobi like Itachi were a rarity as it were. He couldn't afford to waste resources and if Itachi did end up betraying him, well… the boy was good, no question, but he was no Namikaze. He was no Hashirama.

It was a few more hours before anything happened. Itachi had hidden himself atop a power pole, how he had managed that without being spotted was a mark in his favour, but slowly, as dusk reared its orangey glow, Itachi blurred into action.

One body after the next, as uncles, aunts and cousins all fell to Itachi's blade, betrayal evident in their eyes, his eyes as black and still as coal.

He watched as the Uchiha, now whittled down from 300 to about 20, began to mount a defence, red fire converging on Itachi from all sides as night finally fell, only to be extinguished as the black of Amaterasu's flames suffocated the Grand Fireballs and burnt the men and woman to ash.

Finally was the fight between Itachi and the current head of the clan, Fugaku. A Jonin of average skill, Itachi easily overcame his sire, dragging the body into the house he assumed was Fugaku's, one last chakra signature in the entire clan, standing right in Itachi's path.

"Kaa-san." Oh man, that was priceless. Itachi was the heir? That made this slaughter all the sweeter.

"Why Itachi?" the woman asked pathetically. "Why have you betrayed us to the inheritors of the Senju's will?" well that was different, the inheritors of the Senju's will? Did she mean Konoha as a whole? It seemed the Uchiha had finally come around to his way of thinking?

"Betrayed you, Kaa-san? This clans plan would have incited civil war. You would have destroyed Konoha." The boy shook his head in disappointment. "You have all betrayed the village you pledged to serve, I am sorry Kaa-san, but I have been ordered to execute every last Uchiha in this village, and that includes you."

"And Sasuke?" Madara frowned, the boy's body twitched, whoever this Sasuke was Itachi had planned something else over than death for the boy.

"Sasuke will live, he will be my executioner."

"What…?"

"Goodbye, Kaa-san." And with a wet squelch, Itachi's ANBU issue nodachi lodged itself clear it Uchiha Mikoto's throat, ending the Uchiha clan forever.

Madara's eyes widened slightly at the medical brutality of it, he doubted even he could have stared his own mother in the eye and killed he so easily. He made to step out of the shadows to extend his offer to the boy, but was stopped as the door behind Itachi slid open.

"Aniki you're alive?"

Oh, this would be interesting.

-/-

And interesting it had been. He had watched as Itachi cleanly and methodically destroyed his brother, before putting him back together with a focus. To gain the legendary eyes of darkness, and to come and be Itachi's executioner, to avenge the clan.

Sasuke had even managed to activate his Sharingan that day, so much potential, gone to waste because of that snake Orochimaru. It was unfortunate, really, but the boy had proven to be gullible enough to act as a distraction at any rate. Especially at the Gokage summit, costing the Raikage his left arm as well as killing that thief, Danzo.

He felt the two Jinchuriki meet the path of his ressurected trump cards and smirked, maybe he wouldn't need Sasuke after all.

One final battle and he would take his final prizes. The Hachibi and the Kyubi.

50 years he had been planning. 50 years he had been waiting. And now, finally, after so much blood and sweat, after coercing those of the Akatsuki to his side, after throwing the world into chaos and assembling the Biju together one last time, his plans were about to be realized.

'_Yes.' _he thought quietly, eyes sweeping the six dead Jinchuriki in front of him. _'Soon Izuna, soon this imperfect world will sleep, and everything shall be right with the world.'_

Soon, he would win.

-/-

**Oh my god, what am I doing to myself?**

**So this is a little One Shot my mind tricked me into writing up on Madara's rationalizations for his actions, as well as a look at his interactions with several key characters, excluding Naruto for the time being. Hopefully I've created a coherent narrative here. I struggle after about 1500 words to keep all the facts straight for the single chapter.**

**I've messed with Cannon a little bit, but only slightly. For example the massacre. I find it incredibly hard to believe that in a compound of 300 people, no one would notice anything wrong, so I had the Uchiha mount a last minute defence against their traitorous kinsman. Of course, it didn't do anything but there had to have been something.**

**I'm going to go work on my multichapter stories now, I promised Sean after all, and I take that promise totally srsly. In actuality I'm probably going to write a Naruto Sasuke fight that ties into this narrative, even against my better judgement.**

**Damn you my bitch of a muse! DAMN YOU TO **_**HELL**_**!**


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